On May 17, a small group of advocates from across North Carolina visited Capitol Hill to ask for Congressional support for key policies during the 2022 Alzheimer’s Impact Movement Advocacy Forum.
Advocates from all 50 states came together in Washington to meet with their federal legislators to urge support of critical, bipartisan policies to help make progress in the fight against Alzheimer’s. They shared their stories about how this disease impacts them personally, a key part of ensuring the Alzheimer’s community remains top-of-mind for those on Capitol Hill.
One of the things advocates spoke about was the importance of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. In 2012, following the passage of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) (P.L. 111-375), the Department of Health and Human Services released the first National Plan to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s. To help achieve this goal, the Alzheimer’s Accountability Act was enacted, which requires scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop an Alzheimer’s research budget each year. This research budget, known as the professional judgment budget (PJB), has helped guide our appropriations requests over the past decade for Alzheimer’s and dementia research at the NIH.
We are proud of all the progress that has been made, but our work remains urgent. With NAPA set to expire in 2025, we are proud to support the NAPA Reauthorization Act (S. 4203/H.R. 7775) and the Alzheimer’s Accountability & Investment Act (S. 4202/H.R. 7773), which would extend and expand the National Plan through 2035 and would continue to prioritize Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding at the NIH.
We are incredibly grateful to our dedicated volunteers for advocating for these bipartisan bills to help improve the lives of those impacted by Alzheimer’s throughout the nation. You can support their efforts by taking action today!
Check out these photos from meetings with the North Carolina delegation!
Alzheimer's Association North Carolina Blog 